News
New Liturgical Vestments
May 25, 2021
This Trinity Sunday, we visibly celebrate the gifts of the Holy Trinity at the Cathedral. A collection of altar hangings; pulpit and lectern hangings; and priest, deacon, and crucifer vestments, is being used for the first time. This grouping will be known as the Treadway Collection, as it celebrates the lives of five generations of the Treadway family and their faithful service to Trinity Cathedral, the Diocese of Arkansas, and the community of Little Rock since the 1880s. This gift is made possible through the generosity of Lou Ellen East Treadway, Ellen Treadway Engelke, and Amy Treadway Iacaboni.
The fabrics used are Portuguese Tapestry and Dupioni Silk. This exceptional collection was made especially for Trinity Cathedral by C.M. Almy. The Treadway Collection takes its place as a beautiful addition to the already historic altar hangings and vestments used by the Cathedral.
New Music Director Hired
May 20, 2021
We are excited to announce that Colin MacKnight will start as our new Music Director on July 12.
Colin, called “a stunning player of exceptional ability” by composer and conductor Bob Chilcott, will complete his doctorate in organ performance at The Juilliard School (where he also received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees) in June. He currently serves as Associate Organist and Choirmaster at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, Long Island. Prior to Incarnation, he was Assistant Organist and Music Theory Teacher at St. Thomas Fifth Avenue and Assistant Organist at Church of the Resurrection, both in New York City.
Colin has won first prizes in several competitions, including the Paris Music Competition, West Chester University International Organ Competition, Albert Schweitzer Organ Competition, Arthur Poister Competition, American Guild of Organists (AGO) Northeast Regional Competition, and the Rodgers North American Classical Organ Competition. He was also a laureate in the 2016 and 2019 Longwood Gardens International Organ Competitions.
Colin received the Fellow and Choirmaster Certifications from the AGO, receiving the prize for that year’s top Choirmaster score, and was named one of the top “20 Under 30” eminent young organists by The Diapason magazine in 2019. For more information, about Colin and to see videos of him playing visit colinmacknight.com.
Mother’s Day Purse Drive a Huge Success
April 28, 2021
Early in the morning before the 10 a.m. service about 70 gift bags with purses were arranged at the front of the church. Would we make our goal of 125 Mother's Day presents? As folks began arriving for the service, people streamed to the front of the church with gift bags. The collection grew and grew threatening to block access to the Chancel steps.
Following the announcements, Dean Meaux and the other clergy blessed the purses in the name of Jesus who, we were reminded, had a human mother.
After the service the bags were organized in groups of ten. Rows and rows of colorful bags, thirteen in all with three left over. (Sunday afternoon and Monday morning even more bags came in for a total of over 150!) A record number of purses had been collected.
To each bag was added a packet of feminine hygiene products provided by the Arkansas Women's Outreach, and organization that promotes the wellbeing of local homeless women through access to the basic items women need.
All counted and ready for delivery, 100 bags were set aside for Our House. The rest were delivered to Arkansas Children's Hospital and Dorcus House and were received with gratitude. In the words of a staff member at Our House, "This donation will put a smile on so many mom's faces."
Thank you to the Matthew 25 group for organizing this event and for the tremendous generosity of the many people who brought purses. It is a true testament to the commitment Trinity has to serve our community.
Mother's Day Purse Drive
April 21, 2021
The Matthew 25 Outreach Committee is happy to bring back our wonderful annual Mother’s Day Purse-Giving project this year to benefit so many mothers that, unfortunately, miss out on their due recognition. We skipped last spring (for obvious reasons), so we’re excited to bring this very popular outreach project back to the parish. The need is great this year- we are looking to collect 125 purses, or more!
How can I help?
Purchase or donate a very lightly used purse. Have fun filling it with a few goodies for “Mom,” such as: lip gloss, hand lotion, hand sanitizer, perfume, scarf, small jewelry pieces, mirror, candy…use your imagination! Wrap your purse gift in a gift bag with tissue, ribbon, Happy Mother’s Day card, etc. And, invite your neighbors and friends to help, also!
Where do the purses go?
The purse gifts will be distributed to the children of Our House, Dorcas House and Arkansas Children’s Hospital to present to their mothers on Mother’s Day.
When are the purses needed?
Bring your Purse gift/gifts to church Sunday, May 2. The purse gifts will be blessed at the 10:00 service. If you cannot make the service, please make plans to drop your gift by the church office.
Response to Derek Chauvin trial verdict
April 20, 2021
Dean Meaux joined with other clergy of the Cathedral to offer prayers for all involved, and for peace, as the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial was announced.
Below are a live message on Facebook before the verdict, a liturgy for Social Justice streamed on YouTube, and a live message on Facebook following the verdict.
The Rev. Canon Dr. Russell Snapp to Retire
April 14, 2021
Today, Canon Snapp announced that he would retire at the end of May. A celebration of his ministry at will take place at the Cathedral on Trinity Sunday, May 30.
Read more from Russ, and Dean Meaux in this special edition of The Message.
Ordinations Scheduled for April 17
April 08, 2021
Our own Merceds Clements will be ordained to the diaconate in the Cathedral on Saturday, April 17. All are welcome to join and celebrate.
BY THE GRACE OF GOD AND THE CONSENT
OF THE PEOPLE
THE RIGHT REVEREND LARRY R. BENFIELD
BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE OF ARKANSAS
WILL ORDAIN
MERCEDES MCDANIEL CLEMENTS
RANDOLPH NEWTON HOLLIS
CHRISTINE MARIE SCHAEFER
TO THE SACRED ORDER OF DEACONS
IN CHRIST’S ONE HOLY AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH
SATURDAY, THE SEVENTEENTH DAY OF APRIL, TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY-ONE,
AT ELEVEN O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING.
TRINITY EPISCOPAL CATHEDRAL
310 WEST 17TH STREET
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS
YOUR PRAYERS AND PRESENCE ARE REQUESTED
THE FESTAL COLOR IS RED
THIS EVENT WILL ALSO BE LIVESTREAMED ON THE DIOCESAN FACEBOOK PAGE:
https://www.facebook.com/dioark
Message from Dean Meaux
March 02, 2021
-To the People of Trinity -
I can barely believe I am typing these words. After a year of discerning how to gather virtually, we are beginning the process of returning worship in the Cathedral. The COVID numbers have dropped dramatically in our community and state. The Bishop's guidelines allow us to gather inside once our COVID positivity rate drops below 13 per 10, 000. We are watching our numbers and we are very close, if not already there. It is very exciting to imagine the Cathedral full (to a safe level)!
Because we want to be good neighbors and remain a safe place, we are gathering a team of people to review our safety protocols. For example, we know that the primary way the COVID virus spreads is through aerosol droplets and transmission. For this reason, we will discern our capacity limits. In addition, we will ask everyone over the age of 5 to wear a mask. And, because we know hand washing prevents the spread of germs, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes will be available in the pews and throughout the Cathedral. Once we have a list of safety protocols, we will publish these for your review.
Of course, we are also beginning to wonder about all the other ways we gather: Sunday school, regular meetings, and our office hours. As we begin to slowly re-open, watch your email for information about how we will proceed. Never hesitate to reach out to me with your concerns or feedback.
This Sunday, we will worship OUTSIDE Saturday at 4:00 pm and Sunday at 10:00am. The Sunday service will be live-streamed. If COVID positivity numbers remain low, we hope to worship inside the Cathedral Sunday, March 14th, 10:00 am with an outdoor service on Saturday, March 13th at 4:00 pm. Whether in person, inside, or outside, we will continue to live-stream the Sunday morning service.
I can not wait to see you face to face! And please know that your safety and health is of primary importance to us! We will do all we can to continue to be a place where we draw close to God w, Faithfully, Dean Meaux
Lenten Offerings 2021
February 18, 2021
'Feed Your Spirit' Lenten Series
Each Friday in Lent at 12:15 p.m., we will livestream a Lenten series — ‘Feed Your Spirit’. Each service will feature Noonday Prayers, organ music, and a time for silent meditation. Organists will include Scott Seidenschwarz from St. Luke’s in North Little Rock; Keith Hearnsberger from St. Michael’s in Little Rock; Bob Bidewell and Jane Gamble from Christ Church in Little Rock; Charles Russel from Grace Lutheran Little Rock; and Victoria Harden, music director at Trinity Cathedral. All are welcome to worship via livestream or watch later via the playlist.
DUE TO THE SEVERE WEATHER, WE WILL NOT START THIS SERIES UNTIL FEBRUARY 26
Can God Set a Table in the Wilderness (Psalm 78:19)
Using the pressing question of a bewildered psalm writer as a springboard for reflection, Stuart Hoke will offer a 4-week Lenten series on encountering the Spirit of God in places where we’d least likely to find her. Having lived through the bewildering months of pandemic, political turmoil, economic disruption, emotional and spiritual agitation, many of us hunger for opportunities to connect—not only with God, but with each other, and with the deepest parts of ourselves. We are hard-wired for connection, and yet having to dis-connect in order to save life. The disconnection of wilderness is always an opportune season to grapple with the divine Spirit who works within us in “sighs and groans” too deep for words, and always does for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
Our four sessions will take place on ZOOM, 9-9:50 a.m. on Sunday mornings as follows:
2/21 Setting the Stage—Spirituality of Wilderness (Psalm 78:19)
2/28 “Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places” (Johnny Lee, #1 country hit 1980)
3/7 “Sighs and Groans too Deep for Words” (Romans 8:26)
3/14 “Slender Threads” (Robert Johnson, Balancing Heaven and Earth)
Daughters of the King & Episcopal Church Women Book Study
This two-hour book study will discuss the book Surprise the World: The Five Habits of Highly Missional People, by Michael Frost. The facilitator, the Rev. Peggy Cromwell, will lead two groups discussions — the first on March 3, at 7 p.m., and a repeat session on March 10 for those who cannot make the first. Each session will close with Compline.
Register for one of the following dates:
MARCH 3, 2021, BOOK STUDY - 7:00 PM Central Time
or MARCH 10, 2021, BOOK STUDY - 7:00 PM Central Time)
Register in advance for the meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.